May 2010

Becky Higg Concert in Dorset.

Saturday night at the last two Activate weekends away in Coventry were hugely succesfull thanks to the talents of singer/songwriter Becky Higg. She blends together a mellow programme of guitar playing, meaningful lyrics, laid back chat and fantastic Katie Melua-like singing.
The Activate group in Wimborne Dorset have booked Becky to come on Saturday 22nd May to a Girls Night Out event. There are spaces for any other Activate supporters and their friends – please contact the Activate web address if you want tickets at £5 each, including drinks and nibbles.

Becky Higg Concert in Dorset. Read More »

Host an Achkiy party, discover fabulous ethical jewellery!

The beautiful new Achkiy site is up and running. There are some fabulous new products and lots of interesting information on the great ethical ethos that makes Achkiy unique. Look out for details of World Fair Trade Day and how you can get 10% off if you book a party.
Activate has a long history of supporting this fantastic charity through Julia Crellin, and we are very excited about their new developments. Host a party this spring – great for a get together with friends and neighbours, the jewellery is lovely and you are supporting families who really need help.
www.achkiy.com

Host an Achkiy party, discover fabulous ethical jewellery! Read More »

Does the new John Lewis advert make you cry?

My sixteen year old son showed me his favourite new YouTube clip – one that 250,000 others have watched in recent days. This time it is not a song, a crash or a comedian – it is the new John Lewis advert and it is causing a sensation! It cost £6million to shoot and it is proving a memorable hit on TV and the internet. Rosie Baker of ‘Marketing Week’ said that…

John Lewis’s latest advert has caused the entire female population to have a collective “moment”, it seems.
It follows one woman through childhood and into old age via birthdays, marriage and babies, surrounded by friends, family and loved ones and of course, the entire contents of the John Lewis home department.
The evocative journey plays out to the soundtrack of Billy Joel’s “She’s always a woman to me” sung by the beguiling voice of Fyfe Dangerfield from the indie folk band Guillemots.

The ad has provoked quite a response in the media and by the public. It’s been both hailed as genius and lambasted as shamelessly sentimental, … as I watched it I was having an internal debate as to whether I agreed that the ad is genius for positioning its affordable yet aspirational homewares at the heart of an idealistic, happy and traditional family or whether I resent the simplistic, sexist and twee ideal that John Lewis is pedalling, that shows no progression of women’s lives since the days of the 1950s home-baking housewife.
The concept isn’t exactly unique. Unilever used a male version of it in its first campaign to support the US launch of its Dove Men+Care range. Dove aimed to challenge the male stereotypes that usually appear in ads for male grooming products by focussing on milestones such as getting married or having children.

Everyone is talking about it, and everyone wants it to be their life. No doubt even the most staunchly ad-manipulation-aware consumers will feel the urge to pop in to John Lewis within days of seeing the tear-jerking ad.

I admit that I fell for it the first time I saw it – I found myself with a lump in my throat, as it brought back memories of special family moments whilst reminding me that my life is flying by. I even caught my husband with moist eyes – he doesn’t like to admit to that though.

I’m not sure that it made me want to rush to John Lewis, but it did make me want to discuss it with my friends. Is this the life we all want? Can I see myself here? Oh dear, by this reckoning my special moments are more than half way over!! As I pondered this and all the great discussion topics I could see how great a resource this would be at my next Ladies event – show the Youtube clip and give a three minute wrap-up talk following. How would you follow this clip? ‘If John Lewis is there for all of life’s moments, how much more is our father God?What does a lifelong comitment mean?’. Let us know how you feel watching it and sharing it with your friends…

http://www.youtube.com/user/JohnLewisRetail?v=zMtyOCoqHTk&feature=pyv&ad=5025761100&kw=john%20lewis%20ad

Does the new John Lewis advert make you cry? Read More »

Discovery – Become a Transforming Influence in Your Community

Discovery is a practical process from Tearfund designed to help your church become a transforming influence within your community.
Written by skilled practitioners who have worked extensively in inner-city communities, Discovery draws on Tearfund’s experience of working with churches and community groups in the UK and overseas. It aims to build on the strengths and aspirations of your church group to help them put their plans into action.

Discovery will help your church to:

make a difference in your community, transforming lives and offering purpose and hope

reflect on what the Bible says about meeting the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable people

build confidence as a team, discover new skills and share experiences.

Discovery resource pack
Discovery offers a complete toolkit for engaging, interactive sessions in six stages. Everything you need to run each session is included in the pack, including a CD-ROM, facilitator’s guide and postcard toolkits.

Plus:
biblical reflection on reaching out to vulnerable people
inspirational activities to discover the potential of your community
tools to help you discover and understand your community’s needs
ideas to help your group organise and run a project
advice on how to plan an event or programme.

Facilitator training
Tearfund is offering complete training for two people from your church, who will then be fully equipped to run the six-stage Discovery sessions. Once they have completed a two day training course, they will utilise a pack that enables them to run the sessions at their church. A Discovery co-ordinator from Tearfund will provide ongoing support and advice.

The cost of training is £90 for the first delegate from your church and £50 for each additional delegate. Training is over two days and includes a Discovery pack, lunch and refreshments.

Forthcoming facilitator training
When: Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th May 2010
Where: Christ Church New Malden, 93 Coombe Road, New Malden KT3 4RE
Time: 9:30- 4pm (both days)
Cost: £70 (this includes the pack (£40), refreshments and light lunches on both days)

Tearfund staff will facilitate the two day course, aiming to use the Discovery resources to empower representatives from all local churches who wish to attend. We see this as providing a great opportunity for the churches in South and West London to gather around something practical that could make a real difference. The two day sessions will be extremely participative, enabling members of different churches to learn from and get to know one another too.

Bring a group of 2-3 enthusiasts from your church with a heart for making a difference in your area, who are able and willing to commit to these 2 day sessions.

If you would like to attend or would like further information, please email Helen.Brown@tearfund.org or call 07786 837 580.

Practical action
Once your church group has completed Discovery they will be confident and skilled to put what they’ve learnt into action. The pack is bursting with ideas on how to run projects and events inspired by the course.

Taster sessions

Tearfund will be running more ‘taster days’ in the future to explore the theological basis behind integral mission, to share some great case studies and give you a taste of our Discovery and Just People course. These will be organised based on demand so if you would be interested in attending or hosting a ‘taster’ session please email discovery@tearfund.org or phone 0845 521 0021

Discovery – Become a Transforming Influence in Your Community Read More »

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